1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microcrystalline semiconductor film, a thin film transistor, and a display device including the thin film transistor at least in a pixel portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, technology for forming thin film transistors using a thin semiconductor film (with a thickness of from several tens to several hundred of nanometers, approximately) formed over a substrate having an insulating surface has been attracting attention. Thin film transistors are applied in a wide range of electronic devices such as ICs or electro-optical devices, and development of thin film transistors that are to be used as switching elements in display devices, in particular, is being made actively.
As a switching element in a display device, a thin film transistor including an amorphous semiconductor film, a thin film transistor including a polycrystalline semiconductor film, or the like is used. As a method for forming a polycrystalline semiconductor film, a technique is known in which a pulsed excimer laser beam is processed into a linear shape with an optical system, and an amorphous silicon film is scanned and irradiated with the linear beam, thereby being crystallized.
As a switching element in a display device, further, a thin film transistor including a microcrystalline semiconductor film is used (see Reference 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. H4-242724 and Reference 2: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2005-49832).